They say that books are the cheapest form of travel…and with this list of 50 Books for 50 States, you can make your way around the US from the comfort of your own couch.

Start your journey at the Whistle Stop Café in Alabama (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café), then journey into the Alaskan wilderness in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Travel back in time to 1800’s Chicago for the Chicago World’s Fair in Devil in the White City, then get a true taste of Wyoming’s beautiful landscape in Annie Proulx’s collection of stories, Close Range.

This is the ultimate reading list for those looking to learn about the eclectic culture of the US, from the rough and tough landscapes of the American southwest to the picturesque mountains and valleys that abound on our coastal states.

Reading Around the Country: 50 Books for 50 States

Alabama – Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Fannie Flagg

Alaska – Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer

Arizona – Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli

Arkansas – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou

California – East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Colorado – Kings of Colorado, David E. Hilton

Connecticut – Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates

Delaware – And Never Let Her Go, Ann Rule

Florida – Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

Georgia – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt

Hawaii – The Descendants, Kaui Hart Hemmings

Idaho – Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech

Illinois – Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

Indiana – All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven

Iowa – The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller

Kansas – In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

Kentucky – Beloved, Toni Morrison

Louisiana – The Awakening, Kate Chopin

Maine – It, Stephen King

Maryland – The Sot-Weed Factor, John Barth

Massachusetts – The Crucible, Arthur Miller

Michigan – The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides

Minnesota – The Good Girl, Mary Kubica

Mississippi – The Help, Kathryn Stockett

Missouri – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

Montana – A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Norman Maclean

Nebraska – O Pioneers!, Willa Cather

Nevada – Desperation, Stephen King

New Hampshire – A Separate Peace, John Knowles

New Jersey – American Pastoral, Philip Roth

New Mexico – The Milagro Beanfield War, Joe Mondragon

New York – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

North Carolina – A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash

North Dakota – The Round House, Louise Erdrich

Ohio – Deadeye Dick, Kurt Vonnegut

Oklahoma – The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Oregon – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

Pennsylvania – Rabbit, Run, John Updike

Rhode Island – The Witches of Eastwick, John Updike

South Carolina – The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

South Dakota – The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, Ann Weisgarber

Tennessee – A Death in the Family, James Agee

Texas – Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger

Utah – The 19th Wife, David Ebershoff

Vermont – Where the Rivers Flow North, Howard Frank Mosher

Virginia – Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson

Washington – Border Songs, Jim Lynch

West Virginia – Rocket Boys, Homer H. Hickam, Jr.

Wisconsin – A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick

Wyoming – Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Annie Proulx

Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.